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Rocky Mountain Gamer: You'll want to play 'The Walking Dead' over and over

By Marc Camron Rocky Mountain Gamer

Posted:
01/10/2013 10:12:20 AM MST

Updated:
02/19/2013 05:27:27 AM MST

'The Walking Dead: A TellTale Games Series'

From: TellTale Games

Rated: M

Who it's for: Anyone wanting a thoughtful, story-driven game

Rated: PG-13 for violence, sexual violence and adult themes

Console: Xbox 360/PS3/PC

Grade: A

Hello, 2013! I am pleased to see we escaped the Mayan apocalypse and can now turn our focus to more important things -- like the pending zombie apocalypse.

Some people believe the robots will rise and enslave us, but the Rocky Mountain Gamer knows that would be a walk in the park compared to hordes of lumbering undead surrounding us, looking to nibble our spleens.

Since George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968, visions of the dead coming back to life and eating the living have haunted horror aficionados.

The latest zombie allegory to find a rabid following is "The Walking Dead." This hugely popular TV series, based on a similarly popular comic book, takes Romero's biting social commentary and posits what the ongoing battle for survival would be like for those tenacious humans who can avoid being the buffet line.

So it is with "The Walking Dead: A TellTale Games Series." Originally released as an episodic downloadable series, the title proved so popular that all five chapters were collected and made available as a retail disc.

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The game casts you as Lee Everett, a man headed to prison when the zombie apocalypse descends on humanity. One unfortunate car accident later, Everett is free and on the run -- not from the law but from the ghouls that want to eat him.

The first fellow survivor he finds is Clementine, the undisputed star of the game. This 8-year-old girl wants to find her parents, and Lee takes her under his wing to help her.

The game is the story of Lee and Clem's travels, connecting with other survivors, trying to live and to discover the fate of Clem's folks.

This is the game for you if you re seeking a brilliant, emotional story that will compel you to play again. (TellTale Games/Courtesy photo)

Though the main characters differ from the show and comic book, fans will recognize several characters and locales, including the popular Glen, with whom Lee has a brief encounter, and Hershel's Farm, a fan favorite location.

The game is primarily a point-and-click adventure as players explore each location, solve puzzles and speak with other characters to advance the story.

Those familiar with "The Walking Dead" know how difficult life is for the survivors: Lives are cheap; death, common.

During the course of the game, you continually make choices, big and small. Other characters note how you respond to questions, whom you side with during conflicts and, sometimes, whom you save during an attack.

Your choices follow you throughout the game, which can be particularly harsh when you realize a character is missing from the table because you decided to help someone else.

You can't sit and contemplate your responses, either. Nearly every choice you're presented comes with a timer. Take too long, and the game will choose for you. You learn to act quickly and to live with your decisions.

In one case, my choice of weapon nearly cost me my life. I quietly approached a zombie from behind, expecting to dispatch it with my trusty monkey wrench, when another creature I didn't see grabbed me.

Instinctively, I shot it in the head, but that noise alerted others of my presence, bringing them toward me and sending me on a life-saving run. If only I had used my wrench on the second zombie.

Gamers note: "The Walking Dead" isn't an action game, though it includes a few action sequences. Those looking to mow down zombies with an Uzi shouThe nuanced comic book-style graphics and outstanding voice-work round out the best old-school adventure game in years. If you are looking for a game with a brilliant, emotional story that will beckon you to play again, just to see how other choices play outld instead pick up "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2."

The nuanced comic book-
style graphics and outstanding voice-work round out the best old-school adventure game in years. If you are looking for a game with a brilliant, emotional story that will beckon you to play again, just to see how other choices play out, this is the game for you.

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